Clinical-epidemiological and pharmacoepidemiological investigation of acute cerebrovascular accidents

Abstract

Acute cerebrovascular accidents belong to leading causes of disability and death worldwide, in Ukraine in particular. Hence, proper medical-and-pharmaceutical aid is crucial for the positive outcomes. Our clinical-epidemiological analysis of inpatient medical records showed that ACVA occurred in 77.6% of male and 76.0% of female patients aged 50 and over. Cerebral infarction was diagnosed in 50.3% of patients, 44.3% – sequelae of cerebrovascular disease, and 8.7% – cerebral hemorrhage. Hypertension was the prevalent concomitant disorder, with the rate of 82.0% of cases. The content-, frequency-, ABC, ATC/DDD, DU 90% analyses, and generalization allowed establish the trends, amounts and structure of drug consumption. Among 198 of drugs, the max specific weight belonged to those effecting on cardiovascular system (29.8%). We identified 8 most frequently prescribed drugs. High rates of consumption were typical for 3 drugs. The 90% of consumed DDDs accounted for 45 drugs. Atorvastatin, Dexamethasone, and Enoxaparin were characterized by high numbers of DDDs per 100 bed-days. Consumption of antihypertensive, anticoagulant and antiplatelet agents intended for basic and specific therapy, and secondary prevention of ACVA, equaled 58.0% of the total DDDs’ number. Results of the research may act as a background for rational drug prescribing for patients with ACVA.